DOUBLE YOUR GIVING. If you give on November 29, all donations will be matched up to $5,000 by our Board of Directors!

This year we need your help to raise $10,000 in ONE DAY to support our legal advocacy program.

WHAT DOES THE LEGAL ADVOCACY PROGRAM DO?

Provides assistance in filing relief from abuse orders, and in navigating the legal system around issues such as divorce, immigration, child custody and child supportOffers a weekly free legal clinic with attorneys offering information and adviceLegal advocates helped 251 people file relief from abuse orders last year alone.

“Thank you so much for taking so much time to talk with me; I went from being really scared and not able to think about what I was doing to feeling a lot better and able to put my foot in the water.” -Quote from a woman who recently received legal advocacy

IMPACT OF THE LEGAL PROGRAM

One woman has been utilizing our legal clinic as she prepares for her abuser to be released from prison. Part of her safety plan for her and her children includes court orders that will help to ensure the family’s safety and provide consistency and predictability for the children. She is unable to afford an attorney, and because of severe post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the abuse she endured for several years, she has been unable to work and has had to rely on public assistance. Through her Reach-Up case manager and the Department of Corrections, she found out about our legal clinic where she could meet with an attorney for free.

Her abuser was being released after serving 5 years for an aggravated domestic assault with a deadly weapon. He brutally attacked her with a gun in front of their young children. When the attack initially occurred, she had filed for a Relief from Abuse (RFA) order. As his criminal charges were processed, and he was eventually convicted and incarcerated, years passed and she let the RFA expire. Now that he was being released, she was in great fear that he would contact her. An RFA would provide extra security and peace of mind for her and her children.

Since he had been incarcerated, no new instances of violence could have occurred since the original RFA expired. Therefore, making the case for a new RFA would be tricky. With the help of the volunteer attorney at our legal clinic, evidence was gathered to demonstrate that her abuser had made no significant changes to his behavior while incarcerated. Because they were able to show that he continued to harass her from prison, threatening her via letters and phone calls, she was granted a new RFA. The legal clinic attorney also assisted her with filing a modification of the parent child contact and parental rights and responsibilities order, limiting her abuser’s contact with their children to supervised visitation once he was released.

Although these court orders were only one part of this person’s safety plan, it was her only means of having her abuser held accountable for his actions and to protect her children. Because of the legal clinic, she was empowered, informed and supported in navigating the legal system and bring her safety plan full circle.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Make a gift on Tuesday Nov 29! Your gift will be DOUBLED by a generous match from our Board of Directors!